Microbiome Medics

Hello, fellow gut-health enthusiasts.In this episode Dr. Siobhan McCormack and Dr. Sheena Fraser welcome you to a conversation about the popular fermented beverage that's sweeping the health world: kombucha. They explain what it is, how it’s made and what it might do for your gut health.Learn about the celebrated SCOBY(symbiotic culture of bacteria& yeast) and how to brew your own kombucha before hearing from Emma & Kenny , founders of HIP POP beverages and fellow microbiome enthusiasts who tell us how they have turned a passion  for kombucha  into a thriving and rapidly expanding business.This podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

As 2023 draws to a close, it is time for Microbiome Medics to pause and reflect on12 months of podcasts, conferences, talks, and courses. All with the aim of raisingawareness of the importance of the gut microbiome (and other human microbiomes) to all aspects of healthcare.Thankfully, they are not just stuffing your stocking with knowledge, but alsoadding some holiday cheer. Tune in for a festive exchange of microbiome-relatedgifts and book recommendations. Perfect for the curious minds in your life.Plus, find out what microbiome nerds gift each other for Christmas at theMicrobiome Medics ‘not so secret Santa’ office party.A Christmas message from Microbiome MedicsThank you to all the listeners for your support, constructive feedback, and greatideas and most of all, thank you for listening! Thank you also for the incrediblefeedback we have had for our Gut Microbiome for Clinicians course, which endeavoursto provide an in-depth understanding of the gut microbiome for fellow HealthCareProfessionals.Remember to take care of your microbiomes over the festive season, and we lookforward to another year of exploring, learning, and improving our health throughunderstanding the fascinating world of microbiomes.Book Recommendations:There's a Zoo in my Poo by Felice Jacka & Rob CrawDark Matter by Dr James KinrossAnimal Moves by Darryl EdwardsThe Plant-based Diet Revolution by Dr Alan DesmondThis podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

'When I found myself teetering on the edge of prediabetes, I knew I needed to make a change. I chose movement, and it changed my life.' - On our latest episode, we discuss this journey with Darryl Edwards, a movement coach and author, who made this transformation. From a fascinating conversation about the Primal Play Method to an enlightening discussion on the transformative power of exercise on the gut microbiome, this episode is full of insights and inspiration.We also delve into fascinating research on the effects of exercise on our gut health. Darryl and I explore interesting animal studies that show how physical activity can boost the presence of beneficial bacteria and reduce the number of harmful ones. We discuss how diet and other factors associated with athleticism can enhance these benefits. We also touch on the importance of nutrition for athletes, especially in relation to energy expenditure, mitochondrial function, and the production of short-chain fatty acids.Finally, we explore the implications of modern sedentary lifestyles on our health and gut microbiomes. From the evolution of furniture to the advancement of technology, we discuss how our environments encourage inactivity. But it's never too late to make a change. Whether it's introducing exercise early in life, opting for outdoor activities like gardening, or just learning to move more, every step towards a more active lifestyle can have profound impacts on our health and gut microbiomes. So, join us on this journey of discovery and learn how to reclaim the joy of movement!https://www.primalplay.com/blog/unlock-the-power-of-play-how-active-play-boosts-adult-health-happinessThis podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

In this podcast episode, Dr Sheena Fraser and Dr Siobhan Mccormack (aka Microbiome Medics) discuss the significant impact of antibiotics on the gut microbiome. They are joined by an expert in this area Dr Anastasia Theodosiou, who is both a Microbiome Scientist and a  Registar in Microbiology & Infectious Disease.Dr Anastasia introduces her novel term Microbiotoxicity which can be used to  explain and  predict the effects of antibiotics on human  microbiomes. The discussion also covers other drugs like proton pump inhibitors and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which can also perturb the gut microbiome. Listeners will gain insights into the recovery timeline of the gut microbiome after antibiotic exposure and the implications of gut microbiome disruptors like Caesarian section delivery and neonatal formula feeding on both gut health and other health outcomes across the lifespan. This episode highlights the importance considering the impact of medications on the gut microbiome and how we might start to bridge the gap between microbiome research and clinical practice.Dr Theodosiou is an MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow (University of Southampton) and an Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology Registrar. Her research involves the use of controlled human infection to study microbiome development in early life, including the world’s first respiratory human challenge study in pregnancy.https://idiotspodcasting.buzzsprout.com/1782416/13193172-56-antibiotics-breastfeeding-and-infant-healthTheodosiou AA, Jones CE, Read RC, Bogaert D. Microbiotoxicity: antibiotic usage and its unintended harm to the microbiome. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2023;36(5):371-378. doi:10.1097/QCO.0000000000000945 https://www.hellomicro.org/post/microbiome-microbiotoxicity https://www.nbmedical.com/blog/microbiotoxicityThis podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

In this 3rd & final episode Dr Sheena & Dr Shiv get to chat to Professor Robert Thomas , a full time NHS Consultant Oncologist, Sorts and Nutrition scientist and active medical researcher who explains why he thinks the gut microbiome and gut health are key to cancer prevention, response cancer therapies and survivorship.They discuss diet, research and patient empowerment. It seems that small, simple , achievable dietary and behaviour changes really can improve outcomes , overall wellbeing and survivorship. Professor Robert Thomas is a full time NHS Consultant Oncologist at Bedford and Addenbrooke's Hospitals, a teacher at Cambridge University and visiting Professor of Sports and nutritional science at the University of Bedfordshire. He trained at the Royal Marsden Hospital had period of full-time laboratory and clinical research at the Institute of Cancer and Duke University, North Carolina. He now manages patients with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormones and biological targeted treatments but incorporates nutritional and lifestyle strategies to enhance their effect, reduce side effects and improve overall wellbeing.He is also head of a Lifestyle and Cancer Research Unit which designs and conducts government backed studies evaluating the impact of exercise, diet and natural therapies on cancer, other chronic diseases and more recently recovery from Covid-19. In collaboration with Universities in Southern California, Cambridge and Glasgow, this unit has published over 100 peer reviewed scientific papers and regularly presents studies across the World. He is a patron of two cancer support charities and advises Macmillan and other support groups on their informal materials for patients.He previously led the UK Polybalm and Pomi-T randomised studies and currently leads the UK's covid-19 nutritional intervention study (The Phyto-V study) assessing whether prebiotic polyphenol rich foods plus a probiotic could lower the severity and duration of symptoms.He is author of the UK bestseller "How to Live" and has been awarded The British Oncology Association “Oncologist of the Year” and The Royal College of Radiologist Research Medal.Twitter: @cancernetUKFacebook: @cancernetUKThis podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

In this 2nd episode on cancer and the gut microbiome , our Microbiome Medics duo continue their exploration of the impact of the gut microbiome on all aspects of cancer biology focusing on responses to cancer therapies and the potential effects of medications such as antibiotics and proton pump inhibitors on the resident microbes.Dr Sheena discusses practical advice to improve gut health that she discusses with her NHS patients diagnosed with cancer and Dr Shiv introduces a few new concepts including the Oestrobolome and its importance to breast cancer and discusses a paper describing microbiomes within several different types of human cancers which may help further understanding of the impact of microorganisms on the hallmarks of cancer.This podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

In the UK someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of cancer. Startling statistics indeed, but did you know that human microbiomes, and the gut microbiome in particular, is pivotal to every aspect of cancer prevention, treatment response ,recovery and survivorship?Given the importance of the subject, your loyal microbiome nerds, Dr Sheena and Dr Shiv, have chosen to allocate not one , not two, but three episodes of Microbiome Medics Podcast to this rapidly evolving and complex area of research.In this first episode they get down and dirty with a cancer cell to figure out exactly how and why your resident gut micro-organisms might just be one of the most important resources you can utilise to harness the mighty power of your body’s remarkable and extensive anti-cancer systems. Dr Shiv thinks she can get you to fall in love with her favourite gut microbiome research paper and Dr Sheena gets all hot under the collar about the effect of sweeteners on gut microbiome function. Enjoy.The paper discussed in this episode is:O'Keefe SJ et al. Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans. Nat Commun. 2015 Apr 28;6:6342. doi: 10.1038/ncomms7342.Chakalaka recipe link: https://www.wikihow.life/Make-ChakalakaThis podcast is brought to you in collaboration with the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.Disclaimer:The content in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified healthcare provider. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on this podcast.

Explore the significant impact of infant feeding choices on long-term health. Discover how breast milk enriches gut microbiomes with beneficial bacteria while formula's nutritional gaps pose challenges. Learn about the barriers mothers face in breastfeeding and the importance of support. Delve into research on Bifidobacteria infantis and its crucial role in gut health. This discussion highlights modern feeding practices and their implications for both maternal diets and infant wellbeing.

Discover how your gut is a bustling metropolis of microbes, where every birth method plays a crucial role. The hosts explore the dramatic rise in cesarean sections and its impact on infant gut health. They dive into the fascinating world of microbial transfer during birth and discuss innovative methods like vaginal seeding for C-section babies. Plus, hear personal stories that reveal the deep connection between birth experiences and microbiome development. It’s a must-listen for anyone curious about their internal ecosystem!

In this enlightening conversation, fermentation expert Janice Clyne shares her journey from processed foods to championing the benefits of fermented delights. She reveals how fermented foods impact gut health and discusses a fascinating study comparing fiber-rich and fermented diets. Listeners will love her simple recipe for Indian-inspired carrot kraut, showcasing how easy it is to incorporate these foods into daily life. Janice emphasizes the joy and health advantages of various fermented products, making a compelling case for their place in a balanced diet.